


The Jungle Incident

by Friendlylycanthrope



Series: Let's Talk About It [6]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Anyway they get stranded in a hostile jungle together, Beware, F/F, I've never actually posted anything like this before, They get hurt real bad in this., and there were NO beds!, it might be gross, so im not sure how much to warn you or how serious i need to be, welcome to Canon Divergent territory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:07:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23883517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Friendlylycanthrope/pseuds/Friendlylycanthrope
Summary: While investigating First Ones ruins in a deep and lush but equally dangerous jungle, Adora and the gang confront Catra and the horde, who followed them to steal the tech. Adora get separated from her group and is lost in this lethal environment--but she isn't alone! The horde's greatest and most ruthless strategist is with her, and together, they must survive.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Series: Let's Talk About It [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1714624
Comments: 21
Kudos: 186





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Important things will come in this one, in the later chapters. It will effect the decisions they make for the rest of the series that I'm working on towards eventual Catra redemption and eventual ships. Had to go over this dozens of times before I felt like I had it right (and if I'm honest maybe I'm still going over it) but I hope you enjoy! The Fluff is OVER time for ANGST (with a satisfying ending).

Catra came to her senses with a jolt, gasping as though waking up from a nightmare, adrenaline pumping into her veins as her heart picked up speed. 

Her surroundings, on the other hand, reflected a calm quiet. It was dark, but there were angular patches of day moon light on the green metal walls. The air was heavy with humidity and the stench of blood and gasoline mixed with their environment. Dust floated through the light calmly, totally betraying the panic that had interrupted Catra. She tried to calm her breathing, seeing that the danger was over. As soon as she started to process events, her other senses returned to her; primarily: she was in great pain. 

She lay on her back, and took stock of herself. It hurt to breathe, probably a broken rib. One hand went uselessly to the affected spot, as sharp breaths made the feeling worse. She could taste blood in her mouth, but had no idea of the source. Her vision blurred and swayed the more she blinked until she could look down at her body. Cuts and bruises peppered her skin and uniform, some worse than others. Her right arm was numb. That wasn’t good.

She looked over and found that it wasn’t too serious, after she diagnosed the cause for her numbness. Adora lay unconscious on top of her, facing down. Catra was about to remove herself and wake Adora so she could insult her, but paused when she saw how heavily Adora was bleeding from her back shoulder-blade. She wanted to sneer. That’s what you get for being a hero, she wanted to say. But nobody was there to hear it, so she kept her mouth shut. 

***

Adora and her crew came out of the jungle to blinding light. The canopy had been so thick they couldn’t even tell if it was night or day until they came to the clearing. She traveled with Bow, Glimmer, Swiftwind, and the two scouts who led them through the jungle as guides. Their mission: to find the mythical first one city, rumored to have been lost centuries ago. It would be loaded to the gills with tech they could use, not to mention some answers about the First Ones and She-Ra that Adora was hoping to find.

Adora had studied maps and charts scrupulously in preparation, and believed this area would best match the descriptions of its location. When they queried the villagers nearby, they said there was one strange place they had in mind to show them, its secrets not yet unlocked. 

The rainforest territory lay on the opposite side of the cliffs of Dryl, and had yet to be settled very far due to it’s hostile landscape. So far they had been going sideways along a seemingly never ending slope, as the jungle seemed to lay like a blanket over endless hills of all shapes and sizes, some bigger than the mountains themselves that dropped into sheer cliffs.

The team was relieved when they came to a clearing which was uncharacteristically devoid of plant life, unlike the humid jungle teeming with life all around them. All they saw was trampled dust, in a perfect circle, two miles in diameter. In the center was some sort of pyramid structure, about ten feet tall, made of featureless metal.

“I’m picking up something. Like, magic-ey.” Swiftwind said. “It’s definitely made by the First ones.”

“It’s hardly an entire lost city, though.” Glimmer commented, a bit deflated. She had been extremely vocal about her distaste for the humidity and bugs and the hot day moon that weighed them all down. It was a far cry from a Bright Moon-typical climate. They walked forward into the dusty clearing.

“The people in our village have attempted to discover the secrets of this place for decades.” One of the scouts, a fawn boy about their age explained. “We call it the Dead Zone. No plants grow in this radius, and it can knock out technology if you get too close to the structure.” The other scout nodded. Adora placed her hand on the pyramid, and it hummed with magic from her hand to her feet, like a mechanical humming that she could hardly hear as much as feel. There was definitely something here. She looked around the expanse of even dust.

“What about underneath?” She asked. Bow’s eyes lit up with recognition.

“Maybe the city is underground, and this is just the doorway!” He added. But the second guide shook his head. 

“All our efforts to get anywhere near the perimeter of the dead zone, and our drills and maps go offline.”

“She-Ra must be the key!” Swiftwind said. “Just like the temples, they don’t like to let any outsiders in!”

Adora grinned with determination, and drew her sword. But suddenly, there was a different hum vibrating through the ground. She looked around as a fleet of horde tanks broke the treeline, trampling everything in their path. She could see a wide path of flattened greenery destroyed behind them. 

Everyone drew their weapons at the ready. The tanks halted a few meters into the Dead Zone. There was a hissing sound, followed by the opening of the top hatch of the main tank. Catra appeared, smirking.

“(oh fuck it’s humid)-- Hey Adora~”

“Catra! How did you find us?” It was nearly impossible to track terrain this difficult, even for an expert like Adora. She had gotten turned around several times on their journey here from the village, and would have been lost without their guides. It was the main reason why it was the terrain that had survived the longest without a major horde occupation- they just didn’t want to bother over it and lose resources.

Catra extended her claws to inspect them as though she didn’t care.

“Oh you know, following you. Couldn’t resist having you lead me directly to the lost city of the First Ones.” She looked around, squinting at her surroundings. “I mean, disappointing, but we still have you I guess.” 

“You won’t--!” Adora started, but Catra revved the engine of her tank to drown out her voice. She stopped. “You won’t get away with--” RRVVRVVVVVR… “I said you--” RRRRRRRRVVVVV… “Catra you won’t--” RRRRRRVVRVVRVVV….. Adora sighed. “Are you done?” She finally said, exasperated. Catra only grinned her pointed teeth. 

“Oh, I’m just getting started!” Then she said to her communicator, “fire at will, avoid the first ones ruin.”

And then they were launched into action. 

“For the honor of Grayskull!”

The tanks fanned out on the offensive, and fired a barrage against the best friend squad. Adora was already leaping above the dust cloud they created, easily throwing herself into the sky with She-Ra’s strength. She heaved the sword back, in preparation to swing it down as she fell upon the tanks. One of the tanks raised it’s cannon upwards, but too late. She-Ra landed like a meteor in the ground, and a second later, the canon fell off the tank’s body from a clean cut. 

Behind her, Bow and Glimmer fought wildly as Swiftwind took off in flight for overhead support. One of the tanks ventured too far into the radius, and the engine began to stall and sputter until it froze entirely. There was a moment where a radio signal was sent out while the other tanks heistated, then they all started backing towards the edges of the clearing again. Catra must have caught on and told her subordinates to stay clear of the center in order to keep their assault ongoing.

Ignoring the disabled tank, She-Ra made a bee-line for the tank Catra was in before she lost track of which was which. She mounted underneath the canon, where she couldn’t be blasted, and worked her way around to the top hatch. 

Adora could remember her training when they let the squad finally enter a tank as part of their introduction to live weapons training. They were fifteen, and even then they had to duck their heads in order to stand inside it. They were cramped, to say the least, only fitting one driver with a maximum of two other gunmen. There was no way She-Ra would fit in there. 

The glowing light grew stronger and then faded altogether as she dropped the transformation. But now, Catra was wildly swinging about the tank to try and shake her off. There was a keypad next to the hatch, and Adora smirked knowingly as she typed in Catra’s favorite number: 5318008. They had been able to amuse themselves with calculators when class got too boring when they were younger. The porthole hissed again with a slight upwards release, and Adora heaved it open and dropped inside.

“What are you doing here!” Catra shrieked in annoyance. Adora grabbed her by the shirt and slammed her into the controls. 

“You need to change your passcode!” Catra writhed in an acrobatic turn that led to her reversing their roles, and now Adora was held face first against the tank wall. Adora kicked out behind her, and then whirled to take advantage of Catra’s stumble, and they ended up grabbing fistfulls of hair and clothing as they desperately swung their fists and claws at each other. The controls were left unmanned, and from the outside, it looked like the tank was whirling around in confusion, going this way and that while it’s cannon pivoted to and fro. The frantic movements only made the fight inside worse, as they slammed into each other and the walls of their tight enclosure constantly. And as their fight became more agitated, they kept slamming themselves, each other, and whatever they could grab into the controls, which in turn only made the tank move worse. 

“Enough, Catra! Just give up!” Adora yelled. Her nose was bleeding, maybe broken, as she yanked on Catra’s tail.

“As if! Look around Adora, you’re outnumbered!” She kicked at Adora, who pulled her to the ground and tried to pin her there.

“And you’re outgunned!” Catra flipped herself around, and twisted Adora’s arm up behind her.

“And you’re outsmarted!”

Headlock, gut punch, arm wrangle, wall-pin, upper punch, their struggle continued to only get more vicious. Adora was scratched all over in claw marks, and Catra sported a swollen eye. 

Then, suddenly, they froze in place as they grappled each other’s shoulders, and their eyes widened with a horrible realization. The tank ws tilting upward on one side dangerously. Adora felt her stomach drop as the side of the tank tilted up further and they knew that they were rolling. Catra quickly looked out the front windshield of the tank, and confirmed that they were teetering on the side of a heavy slope that the area was famous for, and the tank was losing its balance. 

What happened next was a blur. Well, more of a swirl. The tank finally teetered up enough for it to gain momentum down the hill, and it rolled down ferociously, destroying everything in its path as it gained speed. 

But what was worse was the inside, where loose supply crates were tossed into the mix with two women like ragdolls. They crashed against the sides with vigor like they were thrown into a washing machine as they careened downhill, hammering the walls with ferocity.

They tried to think fast, but their thoughts were immediately knocked out of them with each new burst of agony and every contact they made. Impossible to see what was up and down and even harder to tell what or where they were, they were helpless against the tumble downhill. Adora tried to act first, knowing they couldn’t take another second of this and live. She grabbed Catra as best she could, and then pressed her against the wall, holding on tight to the wires in front of them to keep herself stable as the tank tumbled down. She held Catra protectively between herself and the wall, taking the lion’s share of the damage on her back, neither of them entirely sure of what was happening.

***

And that’s how they got here, Catra recalled hazily. She had to wait for the high pitched ringing in her ears to die down enough before she could even hear anything else. The pain spiked in her battered bones with every movement as she looked around their surroundings. 

The wall was torn to shreds. And by wall, Catra realized, she meant roof. The tank landed on it’s side, with the roof hatch on one side and the floor on the other. The hatch was blasted clear off, letting in the blazing light that illuminated her vision now. Dust filled the air along with the putrid smell of dried blood and devastated machine bits like gasoline and burnt rubber. Catra groaned as she sat up painfully. Her body stiffened in protest, and now when she breathed it felt like nails driving into her lungs. She looked over at Adora, facing down on the ground still. 

“Adora. Hey.” She reached over to shake the girl, to no response. “Hey, get up. Adora.” Catra’s heart sank. She quickly pulled herself to a squatting position, and tried to roll over the unconscious one. She placed an ear to her chest. At the sign of a weak heartbeat, she sighed in relief, but she didn’t know why. After all, wouldn’t it be best for her to leave She-Ra for dead? 

But then her feet got wet. As Adora was now on her back, blood poured anew out of the wound in her back, and the rest of her didn’t look so good either. There was a smaller trickle of blood coming from her head that ran into her eye, and the blood around her nose had already dried. There were deep cuts and deep purple bruises covering her skin, as Catra imagined she looked as well. 

Okay. At least they were both alive to kill each other another day. Catra’s first priority in her scrambled mind became getting rescued. Then kill each other later.

A look outside the wall hatch told her that she had absolutely no idea where she was. They seemed to have fallen a great distance into the jungle from a tall cliff that jutted out over the enormous gulley they were now in. She ducked back into the tank again and went to the controls. She rolled her eyes when she found that they were predictably, shattered to nothing usable at this point. Her own personal devices proved to be in a similar condition. Catra had to chuckle at her fortune. And not only was she stranded, in a hostile territory, and severely wounded, but she’s trapped here with her. 

“Okay. Okay, this is fine.” she told herself, smoothing back her hair. “Whatever.” She coughed slightly in the dusty air, and more blood came to her mouth.

Survival time. There was no way to tell how long she would be on her own until help arrived, if it came at all. The horde probably wouldn’t be able to track her down after that mess. But then, she also had the rebellion’s greatest hero with her. They would certainly come looking for her, more likely than the horde would find her. As Catra grit her teeth just to admit it, her best odds of survival were with Adora. But not like this, barely conscious and pulverized like a piece of meat. Which meant that Catra was also Adora’s greatest chance of survival. 

It took longer than Catra would have liked to drag Adora out of the tank into the light. Not only was she a heavy block of muscle, but Catra’s own injuries worsened with the exertion. She lay down heaving for breath for a moment once they were both out of the tank before she could check them over. Her ribs ached like shattered glass into her screaming muscles with each pained breath. Even the bumpy ride out of the tank wasn’t enough to jar Adora awake yet, earning only a few quiet pained breaths from the warrior. 

For herself, a few broken ribs, concussion, broken wrist, black eye. And all the punches Adora landed. 

As for Adora, she looked ten times worse. Dislocated shoulder, broken arm, broken ankle, even more broken ribs, concussion, bad gash to the side of her head, and the wound in her back. Catra tried to inspect it closer, and laboriously removed Adora’s stupid red jacket. It didn’t even have sleeves. Like, are you cold or not, bitch? 

The sight underneath was not a pleasant one. A piece of shrapnel had embedded itself in her shoulder blade during the tumble and Catra winced at the sight of how much blood she had already lost. Her usually white shirt almost matched her jacket. No wonder she was still out. 

It was difficult finding supplies that she could salvage in the ruins of her tank, especially with how often she kept losing her balance in her own foggy state. Mainly busted and broken weapons and spare parts, until one metal crate gave what she was looking for: the medical kit. 

There wasn’t a lot of the shrapnel to grasp onto, it had been hammered in more than half its length to Adora’s back. But Catra did what she could and forced her stomach to settle with a stern thought as she tugged the metal out with a sickening wet sound. Adora only hitched her breath and shivered slightly as she lay on the ground. Catra tossed it aside in disgust, her hands now coated in blood like she was wearing gloves, as she started to try and dress the severe wound with the insufficient amount of meager usable materials she had found. The horde wouldn’t like to waste materials on wounded soldiers, so it was a miracle there were any bandages at all.

“I’d like to point out… that this is your fault…” She said through pain around her ribs to the unconscious woman before her. “You don’t just... go into close quarter... combat... in a tank, idiot!” There was only one roll of bandage, and even though she used all of it, Adora’s wound continued to bleed through. Catra heaved an exhausted sigh. “And this is all your own fault ...for being the damn hero all the time too! I never asked for you to protect me!” She spat. But the loud words sent shockwaves like lightning of pain through her core and she doubled over, clutching her side and clenching her teeth. “I don’t have to save your sorry butt.” She said quieter. “Everything would be perfect if I left you here to die! So. Wake up and thank me.” Catra lay back down on the ground, her own pain too much to ignore now. She could only breath in shallow breaths, and even then it lit her insides on fire like nothing else had, even Shadow Weaver’s torture with her stupid magic. She closed her eyes as a splitting headache overwhelmed her senses, and she fell to darkness once again. 

***

Glimmer panted and clutched her knees, which only wobbled and threatened to give way under her. She lifted her head to look at the single horde tank retreating, the others having been disabled through combat or wandering too close to the pyramid. With its retreat, she was able to sigh in relief. 

“Are you okay boys?” She called over to Swiftwind, landing with Bow on his back. 

“Yeah. But where’s Adora?” Bow answered, hopping off and putting away his bow on his back. 

“I think she went directly after Catra. I haven’t seen the fifth tank in a while.”

“She’s usually back by now. Do you think she’s in trouble?” 

“I think she is…” Swiftwind said. He had trotted around the dirt field until he found the sword of protection, embedded in a ruined tank. 

“She doesn’t have the sword and she’s alone with Catra! We have to find her!” Glimmer pleaded. 

“Slow down,” Bow urged. “It’s getting late, there’s no way we can find them in the dark. Especially when you’re so low on magic. We wouldn’t be any help to her like this.”

Glimmer looked like she wanted to argue, but she was having trouble coming up with any reason against his points. She huffed in annoyance.

“Ugh, we have to do something! She could be hurt!” But Bow was firm, and put both hands on her shoulders.

“Adora is tough, she can handle herself. We barely made it out of that fight in one piece. We need to go back to the village and rest before we can try to find her.”

It was pointless to argue. She herself felt exhausted being this far away from the moonstone, but dreaded to think how much time would be wasted by going back to recharge. Even as she wanted to go searching, she knew that she was tired enough to pass out already. She picked up the sword and held it close to her chest. 

“We need to find her as soon as possible. Even if she’s alright, she’s with Catra and she doesn’t have the sword. There could be trouble.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> These kids could use a break.... Better make everything much worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early update by a few hours cause I'm impatient.

Adora started to realize that she was alive. She was certain of this, because she wouldn’t be in so much pain if she were anything but alive. Each breath sent waves of protest through her body, from the throbbing in her head with each heartbeat, to the shockwaves of cracked bones with every movement. It felt as though there was a tank resting on her chest, pushing down against each inhale.

Despite every warning flaring through her body to not move, she risked opening her eyes. She couldn’t remember much of what happened, but her sore body sure did. She looked up to a green canopy, with long shadows stretching across every surface. She blinked until the fogginess went away from her vision, and let out a weak whine of pain with what little air she had in her.

“Finally.” 

Adora looked around, until she saw Catra sitting on a log nearby. Relief soothed her and lifted a weight she didn’t realize she was carrying when she realized that Catra was okay.

“Catra?”

“Adora.” 

Adora swallowed. Speaking was hard. 

“Are you okay?” 

Catra actually scoffed. 

“Alive at least. But otherwise, no.” She said accusingly.

It was about what she expected. But it was good to hear it out loud, if anything the biting sarcasm only proved that Catra was well enough to act like herself. She tried to sit up, and pain roared up through her spine along her bones and skin. She grunted with the effort, and tried to support herself on one hand while the other clutched her aching ribs on her side.

“Where are we?”

“Aside from the middle of nowhere, stranded in a godforsaken jungle? No idea.”

Adora took a short moment to contemplate. Clearly Catra would have already tried to communicate with the horde, but she guessed that the communications within the tank were, like their bones, shattered. She noticed her jacket was gone, and her back was bandaged up. Catra had tended to her wounds?

“Did.. did you drag me out and help me?” Adora’s words were slurred with the pain that fell out of her mouth. She was hoping that she wasn’t missing any teeth, but couldn’t tell with the way her tongue was bitten and swollen from her own clenched jaw during the fall. Catra didn’t answer. “Did you save me?”

“So what!” She hissed. “I don’t have to explain myself to you!” Her voice pitched up and she squeaked out her anger. It brought a sloppy grin to Adora’s face. Best not to chuckle, perhaps, given the state of her chest, but she did smile. “What!?” Catra demanded. 

“Nothing. Thanks, I guess.”

“This doesn’t change anything.”

“... Doesn’t it?”

“We’re still enemies, dumbass!”

“Then why bother in the first place?”

“I dunno, Adora. Why did you protect me on the way down?” Suddenly her frustration melted away into cold demands again. 

Adora was taken back a bit. She had to think of something Catra would accept, but came up with only the truth. 

“I care about you, Catra. Just because we’re enemies... doesn’t mean I want anything bad to happen to you.” 

Catra scoffed again, a cruel sound almost like a laugh. 

“Then you’re dumber than I thought, Adora.” Even saying the other woman’s name seemed like a bitter offense to her tongue. 

“Then why did you help me?” Adora could see one blue eye and one yellow, narrowing in the shade where Catra sat. Her vision was still blurry, but she could imagine Catra’s tail lashing furiously, having her own ideas turned against her.

“We stand a better chance of making it back to civilization as a pair than alone. Okay? I just want to get out of here.”

“Mhmm…” Adora hummed sarcastically, if it were possible. Then a thought crossed her mind, and she panicked. “The sword, did you find the sword?” Her eyes scanned the crumpled tank. 

“No… Either you didn’t take it in the tank, or it got lost in the jungle on the way down.” It didn’t soothe her nerves. “Look it’s not like there’s anywhere for me to hide it, okay? We could get out of here sooner if we had your stupid alter ego.” 

Adora found herself believing Catra, but still anxious. If she lost it in the jungle, it could be lost for ages before she saw it again. Especially with the tumultuous path they ricochetted down. 

Several heavy moments hung in the air between them. Adora felt so, so tired. She had to fight to stay awake. It was probably the concussion, she knew from experience in training that this wasn’t her first. But she still didn’t want to lose any time. 

“What’s the plan?” She asked Catra.

“You expect me to save your ass again?”

“You were always the smarter one.” Adora couldn’t shrug, but tilted her head. Well, more like it rolled over to the side a bit out of her control. Catra growled.

“There’s no way they’ll find where we landed from up on the cliff. We need to move somewhere more visible. We fell down, so we need to go up.”

“And by ‘they’ you mean the horde, or the rebellion?”

“Whichever comes first.”

“Well then… we better get moving.” Adora again tried to pull herself up, but this time she was prepared for the tsunami of pain that crashed over her battered body, and she fought through it, despite the wet feeling all over her and the cracking sounds when she breathed. Her fingers felt cooly numb, while an uncomfortable warm sensation crept down her back.

“Slow down, you’re gonna mess up your back.” Catra offered, standing shakily on her own and stumbling towards her. 

“Yeah what uh… what happened with. That.” The higher her pain became, the less she was able to think clearly.

“Shrapnel, went in deep. You can’t lose more blood cause I’m not carrying your stupid butt.” Catra tried to help Adora stand, and they ended up leaning on each other, each one only half able to stand. “Plus that broken ankle won’t do you any favors for walking around a jungle.” Catra tried to defend. 

“Just like... old times, huh?” Adora again tried to smile weakly as they hobbled together over lumpy earth, swollen roots, and dense undergrowth. Her grin was less innocent and friendly than she had hoped, and more blood soaked teeth and gruesome angles from cuts in her face.

“Nothing about this is good, Adora. Shut up.”

“Nothing about it was good then, either…”

“Not like you ever noticed.”

“Catra it may be a while we’re stuck together. I’m just trying to be, I don’t know. Pleasant.” She would settle for tolerable, but Catra didn’t tolerate much.

“Suit yourself, I’m getting out of this hellhole.”

“No reason we can’t do both.”

Catra put her hand across Adora’s back as they supported each other, and she could feel the warm wetness return to the bandages that are already soaked through. The exertion sent a steady trickle of blood down Adora’s shirt. The stain grew as the day moon went down. Their first priority was getting to high ground, to make up for how they fell down the ravine, and get to safety. 

“Can you hear any water?” Adora asked. She was out of breath already, even though it was only ten minutes of painful stumbling. But the harder she breathed, the worse her ribs ached and the more tired she became.

“I can’t hear anything over the damn bugs… we should stop and rest for the night.” Adora only nodded her assent. They rested in a spot with a huge boulder making a wall they could lean back on. Catra removed the pack with the supplies, and was happy to find a flint with it. She handed it to Adora. 

“Get the tinder going, I’ll check your back.”

They both did as she said. But with no new bandages to dress it with, she was forced to leave the soiled ones in place. At least the disinfectant will help to keep her from getting an infection. 

“Hey, let me check you.” Adora insisted quietly. “Your wrist.” 

Catra didn’t seem interested in protesting, perhaps because she was so tired and in pain that she was seeing spots. She splinted it as best she could with the vines and wood they had available. Catra did the same to Adora’s arm and ankle. It was too painfully comfortable to slip back into this routine, where they each take care of the other’s wounds in the silence. It was too much like growing up in the horde, too scared to go to the medical bay about their multiplying injuries from training.

“If I had the Sword of protection, I could heal you…” Adora said with regret.

“Haven’t you already done enough?” Adora twinged as though Catra’s sharp words had actually cut her. “We’re only here because of your stupid decisions, so you don’t get to save me from anything that you caused.”

“Did you pop my shoulder?” Adora asked after a while, looking up from the small fire. Catra nodded without looking. There was little energy left for fighting. Adora rubbed her bruised shoulder. “That should have woken me up....” She whispered mainly to herself. 

She had experience with dislocating a shoulder before, during intense training at the horde. She remembered being scared that it had never happened before, and wondering if she messed it up for good. The fear was worse than their fear of the infirmary, not to mention how hard it was to hide the pain of moving that arm at all. But to her surprise, the drill sergeant just popped it back in and sent her back to duties. She remembered the pain burning through her as her bones grated together unnaturally, bringing tears to her eyes. That pain wasn’t something that she should sleep through. The concussion must be worse than she thought. 

Between the shock of her shoulder being put back in place that still echoed in her joint, as well as the stab in her back, she was starting to get an idea of why her fingers on that arm were getting cold, and it was spreading. But she still didn’t voice it to Catra; another old habit of theirs. Don’t complain about things you can’t fix. 

“Are you sure you aren’t helping me cause you like me?” She said after a while.

“For the last time, Adora. We stand better chances of survival together.” Catra said from her position next to her. Her head was back on the boulder, and her eyes were shut.

“I would have done the same for you.” Adora said without hesitation. But it only seemed to strike a nerve with Catra. 

“You always have to play the hero, don’t you?” She snapped back. She took a ration bar and started to bite into it, but didn't offer one to Adora. “I don’t need your help. Not in the horde, and not now.” 

“Catra…”

“What!” If she was going to insist on being annoying, then she would need to recalculate her will to survive alone. “What, Adora? Some random people you’ve never met getting hurt was enough to make you leave your home? But what they were doing to us, to me, that wasn’t enough? Why were they more important to you?” And if Adora insisted on reopening this old friendship that Catra had long thought a closed door, then she would need to open the wounds that went with it and get this over with.

“I thought you didn’t need my help.” Adora said, getting impatient herself, and she wanted to get to the bottom of their schism even if it meant hurting each other. Catra only got more furious having her own words thrown back at her. 

“I’m not leaving the horde to follow you around, Adora! When are you going to get that? I’m not going to be in your shadow any more.” Something in Adora softened slightly, remembering their fight from the Crystal temple before the Battle of Bright Moon. Every hero needs a sidekick, right?

“I never meant to make you feel like you were second best, Catra. It was Shadow Weaver who had us constantly competing.” She had to think about her words carefully. “Sometimes, I wonder if I made the right choice in defecting. I miss so much about the horde, and I’ll never understand the princesses and their lives... But my biggest regret was you, Catra. I sacrificed the one good thing either of us ever had. Doesn’t that tell you how important it is?”

Catra didn’t move, except for her eyebrows raising slightly in surprise. She really didn’t expect Adora to ever admit that. She digested the words for a moment, and Adora let her do so without going further. Eventually she relaxed her shoulders a bit and her tail curled around her own feet.

“But you still wouldn’t leave, would you.” There’s no more steely edge to Catra’s words. It wasn't a question because she knows the answer. Adora sighed. 

“I didn’t have a choice.” She eventually resigns. 

“Neither do I, Adora… It might not make sense to you, but I don’t have a magic destiny to give me an out that the rebellion would accept. Do you think they would have taken in any other horde officer so easily if you weren’t She-Ra?”

“I’ll only ever be She-Ra to them… not Adora. At least in the horde I could be Adora. Don’t think that that makes it any easier for me to leave.” Adora said remorsefully. With her legs out in front of her, she hugged her arms around her broken ribcage for comfort and closeness, even though it sent pain roaring through her with each movement. Night came quickly overhead, and the temperature dropped like a tank off a cliff. It made it harder for Adora to tell where she was numb or cold, the loss of sensation being the last thing on her mind.

Now that they were both talking, Adora felt better that they may see eye to eye. Maybe being stuck together in the hot and humid jungle wasn’t so bad after all, if they could get a. She felt a swell rise up in her throat at how much she always wished she could sit next to her oldest friend, telling her the things on her mind that kept her up late at night as she stared at a ceiling that was too high and too pastel for her to not feel vulnerable. It was bitter and painful, but she had to get these confessions off her chest. On bad days in the rebellion, she wondered if she had made the right choice, always anxious about her actions and how she had to save everyone. But what was it worth if she couldn’t save the one person who always mattered.

“I never meant for you to be second best, Catra. I didn’t keep you around to be in my shadow…” The words were coming faster than she could think, but that could have been because her headache was getting worse. Could be the concussion, or it could be the flood of emotion that pressed against the inside of her chest against cracked bones. “Catra, it’s because I love you. I have for a long time.” Anxiety roared into Adora’s heart and mind at the quiet confession. Tears brimmed at her eyes as she anticipated the response. 

“Yeah, I know, dumb ass.”

“What?” Her heart stammered and her mind raced, slamming the brakes on where she thought this was going. That was… unexpected. “How?”

Catra finally turned to look at her from where she was crouching. 

“Because you told me before, dummy!” She said, offended. Adora was moving from shock to confusion herself. 

“What do you mean, I’ve never told you that before!” The effort of raising her voice made something crack and pop in her chest, which she ignored.

“Is your concussion giving you memory loss? When we were in the horde, you told me before! When we kissed.”

“What?”

“What do you mean, ‘what?’ We kissed twice when we were cadets!”

Adora leaned forward with effort and looked pleadingly into Catra’s eyes. She searched them for any hint of betrayal, and hoped that the other woman would see her own eyes full of earnest confusion.

“Catra, I’ve never kissed anyone before.” Catra growled and looked away.

“I should have expected this. You just keep denying. Is it because you’re ashamed? This is just like every time we got close. The next day you wouldn’t talk about it and just pretend it never happened.” She looked like she was going to stand up, but clutched her forehead in pain. “I’m not falling for it again, I get it. You have your reputation with your precious princesses to worry about. Not like I care.”

“Catra…”

“I’m going to patrol for clean water.” Catra finally got to her feet and stumbled off into the jungle in a huff. The pain throbbing against her skull was preferable to facing Adora a second longer. 

“Catra wait!”

Adora’s head spun, and not from the blood loss that still bled out her back. Despite the growing cold sensation in her fingers, a constant warm feeling stayed below the wound in her back, and she knew exactly why. She ignored the pain; a skill she had gotten very used to during her childhood.

She had always wanted to kiss Catra, but never acted on it. Sure, they had dating in the horde — as long as they didn’t “fraternize” or let it interfere with their work, it was discouraged but still allowed. The ins and outs of relationships were not foreign to Adora. But she always preferred to focus on her career, studying hard and training harder to move up the ranks. After all, Shadow Weaver would punish both of her wards severely if she found out they were distracted, much less distracted with each other. But she could never completely bury the closeness she felt with Catra. There was no way she could forget any intimate encounter they had shared. 

She tried to stand up to go after Catra, but her vision went black as her ears rang. She braced a hand against the rock she was leaning against, trying to catch her breath until she found herself coughing violently, bringing a mouthful of blood to her senses, dribbling out the corner of her mouth and coughing out in sputtering sprays. Her left side especially ached as though it was being nailed in with pins, painstakingly slow and reaching for her lungs with each movement.

How could this all be true? How did she let this happen? Suddenly Adora wasn’t as sure that Catra would return at all, and she might be stranded out here in the jungle. The supplies had vanished, and made her heart sink. Her hands shook from the exertion of her coughing fit, and finally tears began to crawl down her sweaty face. 

“C-Catra…” she called weakly. She needed help to survive, but more than that needed answers. A loud purring brought her attention to a wide tree trunk opposite the fire. “Catra?” The feline did always like to climb up high when she was upset, and Adora marveled at her tenacity to not only walk, but climb a tree with their injuries. “Catra, please…” but as her vision fogged, she could only just make out two glowing yellow eyes staring at her from the canopy. 

***

Catra couldn’t be sure what Adora was playing at, but she wasn’t going to play along. She dabbed the back of her good hand against her swollen eye to erase the tears that threatened her composure as she stumbled over plants through the jungle floor. Her other hand swatted away vine and ferns, as well as insects drawn to the smell of blood.

She was sure Adora was up to something. But at the same time, she seemed way too genuine. There was no way she could actually forget what had happened. Then again, if she did, it would have made it easier to leave her whole life behind. Wouldn’t it be so easy for her, to just drop her nonexistent friends and unit to go parading off as a hero? Catra growled just thinking about it. She had thought for a long time now that she was past all this, that she had already had her moments of torment and heartbreak and confusion when Adora left, and burned through it until all that was left was cold determination. 

For all the time that Shadow Weaver spent training Adora, her prized pupil never seemed to pick up her famous ability to manipulate people. Or maybe she was more empathetic than that, and chose to ignore it. Either way, Catra found herself doubting that Adora had ever possessed the ability to emotionally manipulate people. So why was she trying to lie to Catra now?

Catra knew it was a lie. She could remember the first time, they were both on the top bunk together. They were fifteen. They had finished their course work in record time and the barracks were all to themselves. They laughed. They were exhausted from studying and training together. Adora smiled, her eyebrows turning upward as she turned over a question in her mind anxiously, and she leaned in and pressed her lips against Catra’s. They both flushed red, though it was harder to tell for Catra since the fine fur covered her skin, although her ears did pull back in surprise. Catra remembered the butterflies twisting her stomach into knots, the feeling of vulnerability as she sat there speechless. 

But the next day, they didn’t acknowledge it. While Catra was thinking about it all night, Adora kept on acting like nothing had happened. It was infuriating. 

“Can we please talk?” Catra pleaded when they were alone in their locker room. “About what happened last night?” It wasn’t in Catra’s nature to initiate discussion on anything personal, and that only made her resent Adora more for dragging it out of her by refusing to say anything.

“What is there to talk about?” Adora asked quizzically. Catra’s rage only surged more. She’s pretending it never happened. Like it was a mistake. She’s ashamed. “Catra? Is everything okay?”

“What is there to talk about? Adora! Quit messing around!” She punched a locker, grabbing Adora’s full attention, and tried to calm down. “What even are we?” She said, jumping right to the point. Adora seemed even more confused, and tried to pick her words carefully. 

“We… we’re best friends… right, Catra?” She looked sad. 

Catra sighed in defeat. Of course, she is ashamed. And now she was going to act like that mistake had never happened. She spent the rest of the day sulking around until she realized that maybe she had felt something warm for Adora. And maybe she could be fine burying that deep down in order to remain friends, to stay with her. If Adora was going to act like it never happened, then Catra was too--just don’t expect her to throw any signs or drop her walls around her again. It was bitter work, and it ate at her insides many times when she couldn’t sleep. She wanted to stay furious, but that same warmth always seemed to draw her back to wanting to hang around Adora, even if it wasn’t in the way she wanted. 

And now, even after leaving the horde, even when Adora had nothing to gain from it, she continued to pretend it didn’t happen. Just like from the beginning. But what Catra couldn’t figure out was why. Adora had no reason to keep acting like that. And if it wasn’t for her sake, then it certainly wasn’t for Catra either. After all, Adora wasn’t clever or mean enough to emotionally manipulate people. That job was reserved for Shadow--

“Catraaaa!” Adora’s cry rang out over the jungle. It sounded less desperate than before, and more terrified and panicked. Catra turned back and ran towards the source, her heart racing. Fortunately she hadn’t gone far in the first place, since the rough terrain was so difficult to travel, and she soon broke through to where they had made camp for the night.

She found Adora, back against the boulder, trying to press herself further into it to escape a crouching panther that stalked forward. Still unable to stand, Adora kept one hand clasped over her badly aching side as the other tried to drag her body inches away from the beast, her legs dragging uselessly as she held its eye contact. Catra was behind it and to the left, and her heart stopped in her throat at the horrifying sight, it’s shiny pelt shimmering in the firelight as it’s massive paws crept forward, a noise between a threatening growl and a satisfied pur at its easy meal rising from its belly. Adora was completely cornered, with nowhere to turn and no stamina to run even if she could, much less raise a hand to fight. The panther’s whiskers twitched thoughtfully, then, in the blink of an eye, it launched forward and clamped down teeth the size of knives into Adora’s shin. She shrieked in shock and pain, and it clamped its mouth down harder. Blood appeared around its teeth as it fought Adora’s resistance, and it poured out in trickles and streams as it clamped down, forming a pool of blood beneath them. 

Catra broke out of her petrified stupor, and leapt onto the panthers back, all claws extended. The giant cat recoiled at the surprise, and released Adora’s leg so it could whirl its face towards Catra and snarl it’s vicious fangs, covered in Adora’s blood. Catra was horrified, but found herself roaring back, hissing and showing her own pointed teeth as she lifted one hand, and raked it down the side of the panther’s face. 

The panther gave a wild cry of pain as blood poured into its eye, and put its full attention to Catra rather than Adora. It threw itself onto its side, forcing Catra off as it rolled over, then zipped back into attack mode, with claws out and its body low to the ground. Catra soon recovered similarly, keeping her feet wide apart and her body lowered to fight. She snarled again at it, glowering with rage. 

She advanced a few steps towards it threateningly, as though she were about to tackle it at any moment. The panther believed it, and fell back a few skittering steps, before hissing, and turning tail back to the jungle to retreat for good. 

Catra fell to her hands and knees in exhaustion as she came down from the adrenaline high, her heart pounding at her ribs furiously as she panted for breath. Her vision spun slightly but she tried to remain awake. Her thoughts raced almost as out of control as her heart, and she tried to look over the remains of the fire. 

“Adora?” She called, her voice shaking. Adora didn’t answer. Catra went to where she was lying, unconscious, and listened to her heart. It thumped in her chest, and Catra was relieved as the cold shock released her. The bite wasn’t as severe as she thought it would be, but it still bled out onto her grey trousers. 

She thought as she set to work ripping up Adora’s jacket for bandages. The panther found them way too easily, with all the noise they made and the still wet blood smell all over them. But with the humidity, it wouldn’t dry any time soon. She feared that the cat would continue to stalk them until they were weaker, waiting to strike against the easy targets they made of themselves. She knew one thing, she wouldn’t be sleeping tonight. And if the power of her pain tried to say otherwise, the might of her fear was there to chase it off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment, I like to know what y'all are thinkin. See ya tomorrow


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get worse. Then there is some important talking action.

  
  


“Adoooooraaaaa!” Glimmer yelled out. She was high up in a tree with the sword strung on her back, while Bow checked the ground below. But with the density that the vegetation grew, even a vantage point in the trees couldn’t help their visibility. She teleported down to Bow, and they continued walking the jungle. 

“Where could she be…” Bow worried out loud, pulling aside a leaf as big as himself to keep walking. “There’s no way to tell where they landed!”

“It’s a huge jungle, she could be anywhere.” Their guide said anxiously. 

“But we have to try! She’s probably been on her own all night, who knows how dangerous it is. And without her sword…” Glimmer said.

“Hey, remember. Adora is tough as nails. I’m sure she’s fine.” 

“But what if she’s not!” Glimmer’s voice broke as her eyes finally filled with tears. “She could be hurt, or worse..”

“We’ll just have to keep looking. It’s all we can do right now.” The guide said. The fawn twitched an ear to the canopy, listening for danger. “We can’t stay out past dark. It will be far more dangerous.”

  
  


***

  
  


Adora woke up the next morning to the sound of running water. She felt wet all over from the blood that clung to her clothes and the sweat. It was so humid and hot that the blood hadn’t dried at all, and now she longed more than anything else for dry clothes that wouldn’t plaster itself to her like a second skin, heavy and hot.

She opened her eyes to dappled light through branches. She could hear birds and monkeys chattering among them, the ever present sound of the environment. This time, when she tried to sit up, she knew to expect the waves of pain that coursed through her core and head, and was able to muscle through it, even if only barely. She supported herself on one hand, the one that wasn’t getting more and more numb and cold. By now the cold, numb sensation had crept up to her elbow. She realized that, while unpleasant and possibly a bad sign, it would be a good indicator of how much time had passed assuming it kept a constant rate. She blearily looked around.

“Catra?” She called hoarsely. Her throat was still coated in blood from coughing, as was her mouth. She soon found the lithe silhouette against the pebbly shore of a river, kneeling down to the water that washed around her feet. Her ears perked up at the sound, and she came to Adora and handed her the canteen she had been filling. Adora took long swigs of the icy cold water.

“You’re awake. You were out all night. Do you remember anything?”

Adora brought the canteen down and passed it back to Catra, relief washing over her as the water slid down her aching throat. It was both a welcome mercy and a cold reminder of the hot pain within.

“Some sort of giant animal... tried to eat me. Then I had this crazy bad dream about being back in class with Lieutenant Hutch.” Catra didn’t respond other than sitting on the dirt beside Adora. Lt. Hutch was the strictest of all the teachers they had suffered through as a unit, not hesitating to use capital punishment at the slightest transgression. 

“Okay, hope that’s not an omen.” Catra said flatly. “How are you feeling?” She gestured to Adora’s bandaged calf. Adora winced. She remembered the feeling of each red tooth puncturing through her layers of flesh like a hot knife through butter. And as the animal pulled, it widened each hole with a terrifying shredding sound that she wished she could forget. But now, all she felt was a vice like grip aching through her whole shin and calf, when in reality it was hardly covered in torn cloth. Just the thought of moving her leg in any way that would disturb the wound made her head spin all over again. 

“I can take it.” She lied unenthusiastically. 

“Drink up.” Catra offered again. “The more blood you can replace the better.”

Adora obliged. 

“But what about food?” She asked, wiping her mouth. 

“We have four ration bars in the supplies I was able to salvage from the tank. One blue one, two brown ones, and one black one.” Adora’s face turned down.

“No gray ones…” She grumbled in disappointment. Catra had to smile, but only because with Adora knocked out this much, it was impossible to perceive that Catra was showing the slightest hint of vulnerability. 

“Seriously? You almost got eaten last night and  _ that’s _ what’s getting you down? None of your favorite flavor?” She chuckled, a genuine and squeaky sound. It did make Adora smile to hear that sound again. Catra was honestly just relieved that Adora had woken up again at all. After a frightful night of jumping at every sound in the noisy jungle, she was worried that Adora’s wounds were more severe than she was able to handle. And if the rebellion did end up finding them, being found over the dead body of their most precious warrior would do her no favors. 

Catra stood up to go to where she put down the supplies so they could eat. Adora was still thinking about it until she heard Catra squeal in annoyance. She looked over to see a strange monkey creature staring down Catra, one hand already in the bag. It had long orange fur that hung from its body like curtains, and a dark circle of a face.

“Give that back, you filthy animal!” She screeched at it. The monkey only smiled by pulling its gums back in an impish way, as he continued to rifle through the bag. Adora laughed at the image, not sure if it was real or not, in a loopy way. 

“Not helping, Adora!”

The monkey found the wrapped ration bars, and seemed to somehow know through x-ray vision that it contained food, for it started hooting wildly. Catra hissed threateningly at it, the fur on her tail raised and fluffed out. She limped closer, unable to keep up with it. 

“A little help here! It’s about to take our only food!”

Adora tried to stand up, but between her broken ankle and the bite from the panther, she was unable to get much further than sitting up, which made her head pound behind her eyes. As she continued to work her way over, the monkey put all the ration bars, still wrapped in foil, in its mouth so it could swing around by its hands. Catra lunged at the beast, but it only reached higher into the trees. 

“Get back here!” She hollered. The monkey took the food bars out of its mouth only so that it could whoop loudly, and suddenly the trees came alive with the sound of a whole troupe of monkeys. Catra’s eyes widened, but she stood her ground. 

“You eat those and I will eat you, you freak of nature!”

But the monkeys didn’t take it seriously. Instead they split their spoils and started to take off across the jungle’s canopy. The sound as they left closely resembled laughter, mocking Catra. 

She turned back to Adora, who was not much better than when she had asked for help in the first place. 

“That was all our food, now what are we supposed to do!”

“There’s no way we’re getting it back. We’ll have to find our own. Oh, remember how you used to hunt mice in the Fright Zone?” Her speech was still slurred, and her eyes had trouble staying open.

“That was one time!” Her anger only boiled higher, and Adora was the perfect one to take it out on. She swatted at a mosquito a bit more aggressively than she needed to. “Of course you remember  _ that _ but not any of the important stuff.” 

Adora, who was making calculations about how likely they were to catch food from the river, was cut off, and her face turned confused. 

“Catra I swear, I really don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s like I keep saying—”

“What, that you never kissed anyone before? What’s next, you don’t remember the time we tried to escape the Fright Zone together?” Adora only became more confused.

“What are you talking about! Is this about that time I fell out of the skiff and found the sword?”

“When we were twelve, Adora! When we tried to escape after we learned what they were doing to the rebels!”

Adora racked through her memory, desperately trying to come up with anything that could resemble that. Her vision became weak when she realized that it had never happened.

“But I never learned until I got to Thaymore what the horde was really doing... What are you talking about?”

Catra only growled in frustration and turned around to kick a decaying log. On top of everything else on this shitty trip, now she has to deal with Adora and her brain damage. Adora pressed on.

“Catra, did you know?” She saw her fists clenched tight and shaking, but she didn’t answer. “When I said, in Thaymore, that the horde was hurting people, you acted like you already knew. Catra, what did you know? And why don’t I remember it?”

Suddenly, Catra relaxed as though she realized something. Something that made her rethink her anger. Her tail swayed back and forth thoughtfully.

“I’m going hunting. Keep the fire going.” She said through gritted teeth, before she leaped into the nearest tree and went off stalking for prey.

  
  
  


***

  
  


“Ugh this heat should be ILLEGAL.” Glimmer whined. It was over a hundred degrees in the jungle that day. “That’s gonna be my first act when I become queen. No living in places where you can fry an egg on the ground!” She threw a glitter ball through the trees in frustration. 

“Okay, Glimmer.” Bow droned. He pulled aside more vines that stood like a spider web across this patch of forest so they could continue on. “But taking it out on the jungle won’t help.”

“Of all the places for the First Ones to hide an ancient city full of secrets and technology OF COURSE they would choose the most  _ inhospitable _ place!” Her voice echoes on the towering cliffs and mountains covered in rainforest around them. 

“I mean, tons of wildlife live here. So. Not even sure if that’s accurate.”

“Shut up, Bow,”

“I’m just saying, just because its—”

“No, shush! Do you hear that?”

They both stopped moving and talking to listen to the loud jungle. They waited a few seconds before they heard it again. Somewhere far off, someone was calling out a name. 

_ Caaaaatraaaaaaa! _ It echoed. They looked toward the sound. 

“Is that Adora?” Bow asked. “She might be looking for Catra if they were stranded together!”

Glimmer grabbed his shirt and teleported them closer.

“Don’t know  _ why _ she would ever trust her, but it might be.” She said. They listened again. The call came out again, this time much closer. They took off as fast as they could through the thick undergrowth towards it.

“Adora? Adora!” Glimmer called out desperately. There wasn’t an answer right away, but they kept running and calling. Eventually they ran face first into someone like a brick wall, first Glimmer, then Bow, before all three fell down. Glimmer looked up.

“Scorpia?”

“You two!” she answered. “Gosh I’m sorry, I never actually got your names.”

The force captain sat on her butt, but dusted herself off as Bow and Glimmer did the same. She had a backpack on, and looked as tired and dirty as they did. Based on how the sweat had soaked through her entire uniform, she had been out here for a while. 

“What are you doing here! Do we need to fight now? Cause it is way too hot to fight.” She did a time-out motion with her claws. “But more importantly, have you seen Catra?”

“You’re looking for Catra? We’re looking for Adora!” Bow said. Glimmer gave him a stern look. 

“Bow, she’s a force captain for the horde! We can’t let her know that Adora is out here!”

But when she turned around to talk to him, she realized that the sword of protection was fully visible on her back, meaning that Scorpia would know Adora was vulnerable. She turned around again to look at Scorpia. 

“Listen I really don’t want to fight! I’m just worried about Catra! She’s been gone ever since the attack yesterday, and I don’t know if she has anything to  _ eat _ or if she’s  _ staying hydrated! _ ” Tears were coming to the captain’s eyes as she sat down again and put her head in her claws. Glimmer softened. She took a chance and put a hand forward to her shoulder, being careful of the spines on her armor. 

“We think Catra and Adora are together. They both went missing together, and they both know how to survive. Maybe we can call a little truce, okay?” Scorpia sniffled. Bow tried to help. 

“Look we don’t have to fight, or even get along, but we can all work together to find them. Three pairs of eyes are better than one! And none of us will rest until we find both Adora and Catra.” Scorpia finally seemed hopeful at last. She stood up and wiped her eyes with her pincers.

“We have to find them!” She declared. “And give them food! Alright, let’s work together. I don’t trust you rebel types, but maybe we can cover more ground.”

  
  
  


***

  
  


When Catra returned in the middle of the day, she dragged a dead iguana behind her by the tail. It was only about a foot long, but at least she knew she could trust meat, unlike any potentially poisonous plants or fruits they might forage. Adora sat on a larger rock among the pebbles of the river, contemplating in front of the fire. She had made sure to throw extra green foliage onto it to make their signal nice and smoky and visible, hoping the increased smoke would mask their smell of blood to predators. She didn’t see Catra coming, so Catra krept up easily behind her. 

“What is this!” She suddenly yelled, holding out the dead lizard. Adora jumped and yelled at the scaly face next to hers, scrambling off her seat. 

“Catra!” But it was no use, the hunter was laughing hysterically. “What the hell is that thing!”

“I don’t know, but it's dinner.” She said when she overcame her fit. “And you better be grateful, cause it was hard to get with only one good hand.”

“There’s not a lot. Besides, how do you know that thing isn’t poisonous?”

_ Oh. Shit. Animals can be poisonous to eat too. Right. _

“Well then I’ll eat it, and if I die, you know what not to do.” She pointed out, her hunger winning her internal debate. She sat down next to Adora on the cold ground, and started to autopsy her kill for meat they could cook. There was silence for a while as Catra concentrated. Adora tried breaking thin sticks from the rods that grew near the bank that they could skewer the meat on to safely cook it. They kept their nerve well, they had come to terms with the food chain long ago.

“Catra, I… I have to ask you something.”

“What, you decided you want a share after you let me have it? Rude.”

“No, not that. But I do hope you’re being sarcastic and plan on sharing.” 

She handed a sharp stick the width of a pencil to Catra, and she started putting the meat on there that she separated from the entrails.

“I think I might be brain damaged.” Adora admitted as though she were confessing to stealing a ration bar. “I don’t remember so much from the horde…”

“I’ve been thinking about that too.” Catra said. She only stopped for a short moment in her dissection before continuing, deciding to trust Adora. After all, who knew if she would remember this. Since she didn’t remember some of the most important things from the horde. “Adora I think Shadow Weaver was messing with your memories.”

The realization had to come to Adora like a slow trickle in her struggling mind, as though trying to force a gigantic shape through a small opening before she could see it, but it started to dawn on her. She remembered when she turned herself in with Shadow Weaver in exchange for Glimmer. The witch had promised to erase all of Adora’s memories of the rebellion until she was loyal again, and she almost succeeded. 

“Wait, when she captured me…” Adora struggled, “She threatened to erase my memories.” She stared into their tiny fire thoughtfully. Catra tensed at the memory. She didn’t need to hear anything else about the power of friendship or how the horde was evil. She was about to protest, but what Adora said next caught her by surprise. “Has she ever threatened to do that before? To erase my memories?”

“Yeah dumbass, she threatened to do that if you ever became distracted. Don’t you remember? She stopped saying that after a while when she got bored of that. Always gotta keep it fresh, I guess.” But Adora didn’t respond kindly in some sarcastic jovial reply. She stared at the fire even harder. “But yes… it’s definitely possible.” 

“That Shadow Weaver just erased my memories whenever it suited her purposes?”

“Honestly I’m just surprised I didn’t see it sooner. It would keep you in line as her perfect little soldier, and alienate me from you even more because I thought you were ashamed of me. And we know that she can, or  _ could _ , when she had the black garnet. Fucking bitch.”

“But… she…” Adora tried to find any small inkling of a reason to say that Shadow Weaver wouldn’t do that, but all she saw was evidence to support that she would. She was more focused on Adora’s career than Adora was herself. It was no secret that she tried at every opportunity to drive a wedge between her and Catra. She could imagine finding out about their secrets through her shadow spies, and pulling Adora aside in private, promising that it would be like it never happened. A sudden chill sent goosebumps across her skin.

“This is just like her. I’m glad she’s rotting in a cell.” Catra continued to fume. She put the stick of meager meat over the hot coals of their fire. “I’m starting to believe that you don’t remember. For all the time you spent with her for education, the one thing you could never seem to pick up from her was how to emotionally manipulate people. You’re too transparent and oblivious.”

Adora couldn’t even focus on the insult (or was it a compliment?) as she clutched her aching head in her hands and her breathing picked up speed, and she wasn’t sure if it was from the concussion or the revelation that she had an unknown amount of memories erased. Just how much  _ was _ she missing? What if she had been a different person if she remembered? What she can trust if not her own memories? 

“B-but,  _ how much _ am I missing? What else did she take? What if I turned out differently because of that?” She hyperventilated. “ _ WAIT, did we kiss? _ ” She yelled. 

“Adora, calm down!” Then, after a while, “Yeah… twice.”

“ _ TWICE? _ ”

“Once when we were fifteen. And one time... Ugh, right after you got your promotion.” She said awkwardly, turning the meat over. She glared at the coals, willing them to ignite hotter under her gaze and hoping to not meet the panicked look in Adora’s eyes. 

She could remember the afternoon it had happened, a rollercoaster of emotions. First glee that they were getting out of the barracks. Then envy when Adora said that it was just her. Invigorated when Adora showed her the skiff keys. And on their way down to the vehicle bay, Adora was so jubilant that she pulled Catra aside into a supply closet, and eagerly lay their mouths together. It was sloppy, and exhilarating. They didn’t go too far, other than to move their lips together, but Catra felt hot in the dark of the closet.

When they pulled away, Adora looked shy but her face was red. Catra was just shocked.

“ _ Uh, sorry _ .” Adora said at the time. “ _ I uh, just had to try. Um. _ ” She was so nervous.

Catra smiled and wrapped her tail around Adora’s leg, but her eyes remained challenging, wanting more. Adora had to stifle a giggle with her hand, then dragged Catra’s hand down to where they would steal a skiff. And then… she left.

“Oh, Catra…” Adora pulled her back to the present.

“I don’t want your pity.” She spat, anticipating the response from Adora from the tone. Or maybe she just knew Adora that well.

“No I…oh my god… that was such a dick move if you thought I remembered that. I mean, I left right after I got that promotion. That must have been devastating, you--you would have thought that I didn’t care about you at all! No wonder you dug your heels in and wouldn’t come with me!”

Catra took the skewer and pinched the browning meat experimentally, but put it back on the coals.

“Yeah and  _ that _ was recent enough that you would remember. Now I’m sure Shadow Weaver was messing with your head. But… despite how much it all  _ sucks _ , I guess I don’t have to hate  _ you _ for it anymore. Just that haggard bitch’s fault, really... I guess I was right, you do have brain damage.”

“How could I have left you like that… after that kind of emotional connection, and then just jerking you around. I was awful!”

“I guess it’s not really your fault, when you think about it.” Catra comforted. “It was all Shadow Weaver. We didn’t matter as far as being pawns in her stupid plans.”

“You don’t blame me? For leaving?”

“...Maybe. Probably. I don’t know. I need to think about it.” Catra admitted with annoyance.

“I don’t blame you, either. For staying in the horde.” 

Catra nodded solemnly. They both stared into the fire for a while longer. They sighed together, thoughtfully. Wishing it could be different and hoping for a way forward to reveal itself. 

“It’s all so confusing. I can’t believe she did this to me, to us.”

“I can.”

“I want to say I should have seen it sooner. Maybe. But if I ever caught on she would probably just erase that too.”

“That’s. Kind of dark.... But accurate.”

“I’m so sorry, Catra. This was all to hurt you, just so she could keep us apart. You didn’t deserve all that heartbreak.”

“Will you stop apologizing? For Pete’s sake, I said I don’t want your pity!” She said bitterly.

She couldn’t deny it, it had hurt her, a lot. It kept her up at night. It made her cautious of every attachment, hesitant at any show of affection. And for what? Adora still left her in the horde, with the memories of her mistakes. 

But looking back, they were both looking at completely different sides of the story, and everything made sense now. Adora was not clever or mean enough to manipulate her. All that anger she felt was now directed at Shadow Weaver. Even though Adora did still leave. Her home, the people she cared about, a promising career, all dropped like a hot potato, just so she could turn around and hurt them when she fought  _ against _ the horde, the people that raised her.

“Did you ever really know how badly she hurt me?” Catra said quietly, reaching up to her swollen eye. “It was much worse than the paralyzing from Weaver. I just thought you didn’t care.” When she saw Adora, there were tears in her eyes. “Seeing random people get plowed by the horde made you leave. Random people you knew nothing about, owed nothing to. I wondered why _ I _ wasn’t enough. You knew she hurt us, hurt me. But it wasn’t enough that you would do anything, was it?”

The tears fell down her cheeks, and Adora shook her head. If she spoke now, her voice would break into a sob of guilt and remorse. But Catra only smiled.

“I always thought she would just threaten you while she held you frozen. If you ever got hurt I would be furious.” Adora said.

“Which is why you didn’t know. Until you got out of her clutches.” Adora shook her head.

“Even after I left, her shadow spies stalked me, haunted me. Sometimes I think they still do. It’s impossible to tell what’s paranoia and what’s real. If you left, she would have dragged you back in a minute, both of us if she could. I get it now. God Catra, we’ve both hurt each other so much. What are we supposed to do now?”

“Start with getting out of this godforsaken jungle alive.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Going to start updating a few hours earlier in the day because I am, como se dice, impatient. Comments give me life, subscribe for daily updates.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They can have a little recuperation. As a treat.

  
  


Adora’s mind was spinning. And maybe it was the concussion, or maybe it was the buzzing sounds of the jungle that were torturing her ears every second, but it was likely the missing memories. There was no room for doubt in her mind any longer, it was certain that Shadow Weaver had expunged her mind of anything that might create dissent. Catra was right. 

She tried to chew through the tough meat on the sticks they had cooked. She was so preoccupied that she hadn’t even noticed that she couldn’t taste anything on her tongue--perhaps if she had, she would have refused the gross material. Even as she chewed the rubbery dinner, she had difficulty keeping her eyes open. The day moon was setting, and there was a definite chill creeping up her legs that numbed everything quietly. Adora should have been concerned, but her mind was finally at a bit more ease now that she couldn’t feel all the pain ricocheting through her system, almost as though it numbed her thoughts as well.

Meanwhile, help was out there, looking for them with all their resources. But what Glimmer, Bow, and Scorpia didn’t realize was that they had a time limit on the rescue, and they weren’t the only ones that were tracking down Adora and Catra. Somewhere in the ferns and vines, there was a large carnivore who was tracking an easy meal. The longer it waited, the easier it would be. It waited for the opportunity, patiently, as a comfortable dusk settled in the sky. That’s how it had survived the jungle this long: with patience. 

Trying to sleep in the jungle was harder than trying to survive in it, like trying to relax in the world’s most deadly, noisy freezer. Their clothes were torn, and there were no blankets, the weak fire being the only source of heat in the world. It seemed like no matter how much they put into the fire, hardly any warmth would reach their hands before it blew away. Despite the chill, they were still unable to stop sweating, the moisture only making them colder. 

“Shouldn’t we just--”

“No way.” Catra snapped, her back facing Adora as she shivered in front of the dying embers she was attempting to reignite. Adora was too exhausted to argue that she hadn’t even mentioned what her idea was yet to Catra. She knew anyway. “If we huddle for warmth, we’ll both fall asleep.” Catra looked to the dark forest around them on the pebbled shore. It was speckled with bio luminescent mushrooms, glowing yellow but showing nothing of what was around them. She blinked wearily, and gasped when she thought she saw a pair of mushrooms blink back at her. But when she looked again, there was nothing there. Even with her night vision, the amount of undergrowth that obscured the view made everything around her black, save the yellow mushrooms and the glowing embers. And hopefully, she swallowed a silent prayer, nothing else. “One of us needs to stay on guard.” She insisted. 

Both of them were hardly able to sleep, through their violent shaking and shivering, unable to feel their hands and feet. Not only that, but it seemed the cacophony of the jungle turned to an uproar when night fell. Animals shrieked and howled all night long, sometimes loud or close enough to turn their blood cold. Catra was positive that the panther was stalking them, but she said nothing of this to her companion. Everywhere she looked she thought she saw the phantom of hungry yellow eyes, patiently watching them. Not only would this information be useless to Adora, who was in no shape to defend herself, but it was hard to update the rebel princess when she kept zoning out or sleeping on and off, in fits of pain and fatigue. It was getting harder and harder to wake her up each time that they switched; which was annoying to Catra since it seemed that when it was her turn to sleep, she remained fitfully awake in the cold and the pain and the noise until it was time to switch again. And when she was finally tired enough to feel herself slipping off into sleep, she would hear a low rumbling from the trees, an eager growl from a patient enemy, and she would wake again to all her senses only to find that Adora was already passed out. Then she would sit by the weak fire, and watch the mushrooms for any that blinked. 

As the first light of dawn started to paint the sky, Catra went to wake up Adora so she could rest. She shook her shoulder, and called her name, but Adora only moaned in pain. Her face was pale aside from her blue lips.

“Cashruh..” She groaned. 

_ Shit. _

Catra inspected the bite from the panther, finally peeling away the torn jacket that she had used as bandaging. It was just as torn to ribbons as it last was when she had wrapped it. She was surprised to find that it was still bleeding slowly, and worse, looked swollen and reeked of puss. 

“Shit.” Catra cursed silently. “I didn’t sign up to play nurse for your dumb ass,” She seethed, taking her anger out on Adora. She had enough disinfectant for the wound in her back a day ago, but now there was nothing she could do to stop the spreading infection. She cursed herself for not thinking of it sooner, when she chose to keep it wrapped up rather than risk drawing predators again with fresh blood smell. 

“Adora, hey. Can you hear me? Wake up.” 

Adora’s eyes stayed shut, but she was awake. It felt like the teeth were in her all over again, clamping down, dragging her away to make a meal. Everything in her body seemed to want to pull away from the grotesque site on her calf, at least it felt like that in her head. As badly as she wanted to lay down, the wound in her back felt fresh and still impaled, as though it was still there. 

“I’m… urgh… yeah.” Was all she could manage.

“Try to sit up, you need to drink something.”

Catra helped her up to sitting, and offered the canteen just before her lips. But one second, Adora looked ready to drink, the next, her eyes widened, and she pushed away, only to hurl the empty contents of her stomach onto the ground in a fit of heaving. She was left shaking from the exhaustion of it, sweat plastering her hair and clothes to her damp skin. They had been damp ever since she had arrived at the jungle, and she almost forgot what dry clothes felt like, sliding over her skin without pulling and freezing and weighing her down constantly. She would kill a man for a dry shirt. But for now, she was sweating bullets until she was dripping, shaking, barely able to sit up. Catra noticed that the meager amount of bile on the rocks beside them was half blood. That couldn’t be great. 

“You’re losing too much fluids, you need to drink.” Catra insisted, more worried. Between this and the blood, she was surprised Adora still had the fluids left to sweat. 

“I know, I know…” She mumbled. She reached out for the canteen, but her hand missed and swung the air next to it. She reached again, and missed again. She was too dizzy to pin it down in her vision, and Catra finally pressed it to her shaking fingers. She took a few sips of the water she was offered. Somehow it was a relief to her system, and also painful to force down. The cold temperature of the water against her hot body was too much for her to take in, and she pushed away weakly after only a few sips, afraid of heaving again.

Catra put more greenery onto the fire to stoke up a powerful black smoke again. 

“Not ma fault…” She defended weakly. “Unless it w’s yer cookin’.” Adora mumbled, eyes drooping. Her mouth stayed clenched shut, as sounds forced their way out. Catra put her so she could sit, but lean back against a rock. It was uncomfortable, but there was no point in complaining about that. After all, all her body knew for the last forty-eight hours was nonstop discomfort.

“If it was that, then I would be sick too.” Catra pointed out. 

“Yer not sick?”

“Sick of you, maybe.” The usual venom of her words was gone. But it wasn’t the playful banter like the old days either. It was somewhere in the middle, concerned about Adora but not entertaining her stupid ideas. She watched the smoke rise into the sky. She ran a hand through her tangled hair. Despite the sorry state that Adora was in, it didn’t make Catra much better. She was still beaten to hell and surely couldn’t do much to carry Adora or fend off another attack. 

The patient growling roared up again from the trees. Catra’s whole body turned to the source, but saw nothing but dense trees and vines. Her heart raced as the sound continued. There was no imagining it, they were being followed. The sound had been patient, but now was asking them  _ how much longer _ ? Catra began rushing to pick up Adora with much difficulty.

“Come on, we’re moving.” She insisted. Adora’s body protested against both herself and against Catra, and became impossible to move. “Adora,  _ please _ , get up!” She ordered desperately.

“I… Cat, I…” Adora’s foggy brain struggled to find words. The cold numbness of her limbs had by now slowly spread up to her core, had caught up to her mind, and she found it going dark, so cold that her fingers shook, but so tired that nothing else would obey. She fought it, but had nowhere near the mental capacity to hold her own in a fight against her own body.

Catra groaned her own impatient growl as she forced Adora’s arm over her shoulders so she could attempt to drag her away from the trees. The sound of growling moved through the canopy lithely like a shadow. It was so patient, the beast that hunted them, for it knew what would happen. The move was not impatient for its meal, but patiently wearing down his enemy until they were nothing, vulnerable to his appetite. 

Catra dragged Adora’s body down the shore of the river, knowing that there was no way she could outrun the beast, but determined to escape however she could. She had come too far to become a meal for a monster that wasn’t even affiliated with the rebellion she was attempting to destroy. She could neither outrun it, outsmart it, nor attempt to fight it. Her own vision swam with foggy black spots the more she tried to exert herself. 

  
  
  


***

  
  


“This way, I’m sure I heard someone!” Glimmer yelled to her companions. She was desperate, and it was showing. The longer Adora and Catra were in the jungle, the less likely it was they would be found in one piece. But now, now they were close enough that they had all heard it; the sound of a strangled shriek of terror near the bottom of a cliff only about a kilometer away. She pushed through the foliage, swatting away leaves as tall as her and vines that hung like curtains, in this dense part of the jungle. Here in the shade of the cliff, the heat of the day moon still burned her cheeks. 

A sound came through the thick jungle debris to her ears, soft panting and a pained groan, perhaps a cry for help?

“Did you guys hear that? We’re getting closer!” Bow said, rushing right behind Glimmer. 

“ _ I’m comin’ for ya Catra! _ ” Scorpia cried as she barreled past the two rebels like a rampaging rhinoceros, her thick plates and armor making her totally immune to the effects of the vegetation in her way. She plowed through leaving a wide path of mulch, snipping her claws and batting away anything that would keep her from reaching her comrade. Bow and Glimmer shared a slightly scared look, before hurrying after her, hot on her heels towards the base of the cliff. 

  
  


***

  
  


Catra could hear voices. At least she thought she did, since her head was bashed in and her ears were ringing from the fall. She had summoned just enough focus to realize that the panther peered over the cliff after them, before it turned around to find another way down. She had discovered a way to escape and rest, at least for a short while. It would buy her a few minutes at most. The cost of such a risky move was to tumble down a muddy, rocky cliff for at least fifty feet. She was feeling the consequences to these actions take place in her already broken bones that peppered her body, and no doubt Adora’s, as some new fractures were added to the mix. The blonde warrior was, of course, passed out and sweating out her fever beside Catra. Blood covered her arm that was around Adora to drag her, as her wounds continued to complain in the color red. 

But if there were voices, there was hope. 

She called out weakly, but her throat was course from her scream as they rolled down. Her vision was blurrier than ever and she was seeing double. One call was all she could manage before she had to catch her breath. Her heart pounded like a drum in her ears, but she had to listen for any approaching signs of help. Hell, she would take a rebellion prison over this torture, and she didn’t know how much longer Adora could last in these conditions given her own severe condition. She wouldn’t have long until the animal hunting them returned, not enough time to run away or get ready to fight it. Their only hope was to lay low to avoid its detection and hope that help arrived sooner. 

  
  


***

  
  


“Catra?” Scorpia asked, looking at the crumpled, filthy figure hiding under the enormous leaves from view. “Catra!” She exclaimed. The figure lifted its head wearily, and two hetero-chromatic eyes blinked at her. Beside her, another figure just as defeated and dirty, soggy and broken, lay hardly moving aside from shallow breaths. 

“Adora!” Bow and Glimmer cried at once upon entering the scene. Their truce shortly forgotten, Glimmer turned furious. “Did you… did you seriously jump off a cliff?! Why would you do that!” She said to Catra, realizing how they had gotten here based on their environment and the condition they were found in. But before she could make her way to Adora’s hiding place under the giant leaves, Catra’s eyes widened and she pointed behind them.

“That,” she rasped.

  
  


***

  
  


The panther knew not how the path had opened up to lead him to his prey, only that it had. The jungle takes, and takes and takes, but only for the fleeting moments where it gives. And if one that lives in the jungle doesnt take the opportunity of these windows to good luck, then their days may be numbered. 

It came to the base of the cliff, knowing the smell of blood on its prey was close, as he had become familiar to it, even fond of the smell of death and decay that followed them. 

Only to find that the prey was part of a pack, and the rest of the pack had returned to defend the weak ones.

  
  


***

  
  


Glimmer had read books, she knew what panthers were, even if Adora, Catra, and Scorpia had never known of any animals before. She was smart, she knew that dangers lurked here. But what she didn’t count on was that it would be so  _ big _ , or have blood around its jaw and on its eyes. She froze in terror at the lithe black animal that had snuck up behind them, her heart jumping into her throat before she could react--

Then Scorpia, without hesitation, jabbed at the creature’s face with her left pincer, clocking it so hard it made a loud  _ CRACK _ sound as the panther yowled in shock and pain. Bow also screamed, for some reason. The next second, the panther quickly reevaluated its odds as it spit out a tooth before scampering off into the trees, howling in pain until it vanished. 

“ _ WHAT THE HOLY HECK _ ,” Bow squealed, latching onto Glimmer from the side. 

“Woah, watch the fuckin language!” Glimmer yelled back.

“WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT--” Scorpia seemed just as agitated, riding a high like never before on adrenaline, unsure of what just happened other than that she was here to protect Catra. 

“Scorps, please tell me you have a way out of this godforsaken jungle,” Catra groaned. She was at the absolute end of her rope a long time ago, and now that other people had arrived, she was ready to be done, even if it meant going to prison. 

“Adora!” The princess gasped on seeing the miserable sight of both of them, as she teleported to her side and gently lifted the blonde’s head. “Adora, can you hear me? What --”

“Nnngh…” Adora breathed a painful sound in response, totally unaware of her surroundings for a while now, but wanting to respond to the familiar voice ahead of her. Her eyebrows knit together in effort and pain as she tried to respond, but could hardly remember her own name. Her teeth remained clamped together in pain, but blood trickled from her mouth.

Now the whole motley crew was beside her and Adora, gently examining them both. Scorpia helped Catra roll onto her back while the other two focused on their precious She-Ra.

“Fever. Since this morning.” Catra said. “But alive. The black monster ...tried to eat her leg.”

As she explained, Bow got an arrow from his quiver and shot it straight above them into the sky, where it exploded in red sparks. Only when Catra saw the strange shadow of a winged horse was circling above their heads that she allowed herself to sigh in relief. 

  
  
  


***

  
  
  


When Adora woke up again, she was looking up at bright artificial lights, and her pain was numbed. It was still there, throbbing in her mind, but harder to notice, as though she could tell that it was strong, but couldn’t tell where it was. She tried to stand up, but the room was spinning, which is probably why she didn’t recognize where she was, and she could only see colors rather than shapes. 

“ _...ora!….oper….ack…” _ The slight murmurs of sound seemed like they were in a glass jar that was put under a pillow. She was more focused on why it seemed like she was sweating hard enough to soak through every bit of her shirt and plaster it to her own skin. She did not recognize the shirt as one of her own, but foreign. Not a single inch of it was dry, and it stuck to her like a second skin. Her legs were obscured by another foreign object that she couldn’t recognize.

She looked at her own hands in confusion as the number of fingers she saw multiplied and divided before her very eyes, and she should have been worried, but she giggled. 

“ _...until we…. afe … rai... her?” _

There was a pink shape too, so soft, all fuzzy around the edges. Oh hang on the pink shape is making the same sound as radio static. Wonder what that was. The pink pushed her down and her vision swam. She didn’t want to be laying down, but her muscles weren’t doing what she told them to. Perhaps it was because of the violent shaking through her limbs. Was it because she was giggling or was she giggling at the erratic movements? The static sounds that came from the pink shape seemed to go up and down in volume, like a roller coaster. Adora began to slip into sleep again, too exhausted to continue with her vivid hallucinations that kept her mind spinning. 

Then there was a long moment of quiet, of darkness. It was so soothing in that soft place behind her eyelids, that she fell asleep.

When she woke up again after that, it was night time. She was looking at the ceiling of her room in Bright moon. She realized that she wasn’t breathing, and inhaled slowly. From the movement of her body to suck in air, she knew something felt different. She realized that she didn’t feel sweaty and dirty anymore first. Then, she realized that her whole body seemed to be wrapped up tightly in clean bandages, the good ones, and that finally, she was wearing loose clothes on top of that as she lay in bed. It was a welcome feeling, to be dry and clean after days of soaking sweat and blood. 

As for the pain, she was overcome with joy that it wasn’t the first thing present in her mind as it had been for the last two days. It came to her senses slowly, a dull ache in the distance that was muffled by comfort and probably drugs. As her senses returned by and by, she felt confident enough to take deeper breaths, and try to look around, blinking wearily.

It was certainly her room in Bright moon. But how did she get here… The last thing she remembered was being on a stone covered river shore, with,

“Catra?” She called out, worried. There was a tiny gasp, then a scuffling sound of a chair, and Glimmer appeared at her bedside.

“Adora, you’re awake! How are you feeling?” 

It took a moment for Adora’s bleary eyes to adjust to Glimmer, but she could see she was happy, and that she had been very worried. She sat on the edge of her bed looking down at her, and Adora tried to sit up, but Glimmer held her shoulder. 

“Is Catra okay?”

“She was in much better shape than you. Scorpia took her back to the Fright Zone as soon as we found you two. You had to have emergency surgery at Dryl before we could take you back to Bright Moon.”

“How long … was... I out?” She struggled sleepily.

“Three days. How are you feeling?”

Adora had to think for a moment. Her mind was still slow and groggy from the drugs. 

“Better than before…” She concluded. “You found us?” It was a stupid question, but Adora was feeling pretty stupid at the moment with whatever her brain was swimming in.

“Scorpia was looking for Catra so we called a temporary truce. She got us through the jungle and we had Swiftwind, we got you both to the village on him.”

Adora wanted to nod thoughtfully to process the info, but that didn’t seem to be possible at the moment. So instead, she made a thoughtful face that she would have made if she were nodding, and Glimmer smiled, her cheeks turning pink. She brushed some hair gently out of Adora’s face, which she hardly seemed aware of. 

“Try to sleep.” She whispered. Adora didn’t say anything. She dutifully closed her eyes and tried to rest, knowing that she and Catra were okay. But then she remembered their discovery and their talk, the very thing that was running through her mind all night after eating the lizard, and was torturing her thoughts for countless hours in her crisis. Her eyes opened again as she said “wait,” but somehow, it was now daylight in her room, and Glimmer was gone.

She must have slept, she realized, her mind becoming clearer. She tried to sit up, and found that it was easier than she expected after the grueling ordeal in the woods. She sat on the edge of her bed, and inspected herself. 

Under a loose sleep shirt, her entire chest was covered in bandages to cover the wound she could still feel numbly waking up to pain on her back. She wasn’t sure why bother at all with the shirt. Her arm was in a hard cast in a sling, and she wiggled her fingers experimentally. On further inspection by rolling up the sweatpants, her leg was bandaged where the panther had bitten her, and small brown spots of dried blood were showing through, but nothing serious. Her broken ankle was in a cast like the one on her arm. They didn’t have casts in the horde, and she examined it curiously to test it’s strength and mobility. She wondered what its purpose was, and if it was removeable in any way.

She realized that she felt weak. Her muscles were weary and heavy with use, and she doubted if she could stand up without falling (especially with this… weird shell thing on her ankle). She looked to where Glimmer was the night before, and found that a glass of water was left on her nightstand, as well as a yellow potion with a note next to it, 

_ Drink this for the pain. And don’t get out of bed!!!!!  _ She recognized the swooping curls as Glimmer’s handwriting. She sniffed the potion cautiously, and took a small sip. She instantly understood what the water was for, as it had a foul taste that she soon wished wasn’t there. She coughed at the offensive flavor that hung over her mouth. Then, her door opened.

“Adora!” Glimmer said cheerfully. 

“Glimmer,” Adora croaked. “We’re in Bright moon!” She realized it sounded a bit obvious, but Glimmer just looked sympathetic.

“Yeah, I told you last night. Don’t you remember?” 

Did she? She couldn’t remember if she remembered that or not. 

“It’s okay, you were pretty drugged up and your concussion is probably not helping.” Glimmer came back to her chair next to Adora’s bed, but not before offering her a warm bowl of thick soup. “This is soup, it’s like liquid food.” She explained. Any time there was a new food, Adora would ask Glimmer or whoever was available about it so she wouldn’t embarrass herself. But Adora rolled her eyes. 

“We actually did have soup in the horde.” She said. “It never looked like this though.” She stirred it with a spoon experimentally. It smelled heavenly, and she tried it.

“Was Catra okay?”

“Scorpia took her back to the fright zone, but she seemed okay. Just a broken wrist it seems, aside from the concussion. We called a temporary truce so we could find you, and no attacks until you both are healed.” Glimmer explained again patiently. “You were in much worse shape.” She said looking away, her smile dropping. “We couldn’t even bring you back to Bright moon right away, you needed surgery in Dryl on the way, for a slightly punctured lung. You were out for three and a half days with a terrible fever. Everyone has been really worried about you, but you have to stay in bed for a while longer. No buts!”

The anticipated rebuttal was deflated, and Adora continued to eat her soup. 

“Okay, things got a little out of hand.” Adora admitted. “But I’ll be fine.”

“Adora, I know you have a whole thing about not showing weakness, but this was a lot more than _ a little out of hand _ . You broke almost every bone in your body. And Catra told us how you protected her from most of the damage on the way down. You didn’t even have the sword--”

“Oh the sword! Did you find it?” 

Glimmer gestured to the door, where the sword of protection leaned against the wall just next to the entrance. Adora sighed in relief. 

“You didn’t even have the sword to protect you!” Glimmer finished. Adora put the empty bowl on her nightstand, and ran a hand through her untied hair. She realized there were a few bandaids on her head as well, over the sore red spots that she had been picking at while in the jungle. 

“She-Ra wouldn’t have fit in the tank.” She defended weakly, as though she knew that she was about to get yelled at by Glimmer

“Adora!” Glimmer was growing in frustration, leaning forward in her seat. “We had to find you unconscious with the enemy after two days in a cut-throat jungle. We weren’t sure at first if---” Glimmer stopped, tears in her eyes. Adora looked up painfully from looking at the floor to meet Glimmer’s look of desperation, and her heart sank.

“I… I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it was that bad…” But Glimmer shook her head.

“I’ve lost enough in this war. I can’t lose you.”

Adora reached out and took her hand. 

“I’m sorry Glimmer. Sometimes She-Ra tricks me into thinking I’m invincible.” It was an excuse, but she had to say something. “I’ll try to do better.”

Glimmer sighed, seeming a bit more satisfied even though the thoughts made her anxious, and wiped her eyes. Then she got up and went to the desk where Adora kept her first aid kit (she had learned that she kept one around so that she could take care of herself in secret without alerting anyone. Even though she promised to be more forthcoming about her injuries, she still kept one around to make her feel safe). 

“Where does it hurt the most?”

Adora lifted her feet back on to the bed, and indicated the bite mark under the bandages. Glimmer started to undress it so she could clean it and put some healing ointment on before redressing it. 

“Are you sure I can’t use the sword to heal myself?” Adora hissed through her teeth at the sharp sting of the ointment on her open wound.

“You haven’t figured out your healing powers yet. So no, you can’t go around swinging the sword until you’re recovered enough to actually lift it.” Glimmer said bitterly, not taking her eyes off the wound. This was far from over, but Adora couldn’t do anything about it. She couldn’t do much of anything in this condition. 

Adora didn’t like it. She hated resting, or feeling like she needed help, or that she was a bother to the people that did help her. 

But she knew that it was best to not argue, or she would only upset Glimmer. So, she lay down in bed again, and closed her eyes when Glimmer left for other duties, promising to return soon and send other people to check on her, like Bow and Angella.

Her wounds were on the mend, but her mind was wild as ever. Adora was sure she would fall right asleep, but instead wound up thinking about her missing memories. She considered the possibility that Catra might be up to something. But even if she was, something didn’t add up. It was no secret that Shadow Weaver had a strong distaste for Catra, so why would Catra stay in the horde after Adora defected? The answer should have been obvious even before she knew she was missing memories. She was terrified of leaving when Shadow Weaver had such a power over the two of them. And if they both left, Catra would be the one to blame. It wasn’t safe yet for her to turn her back on the horde, not when Shadow Weaver’s magic was as far-reaching as even the magically protected Mystacore. 

But even then, now with Shadow Weaver out of the way and in prison where she couldn’t hurt them, when it made more sense to leave, she remained stubbornly in the horde. Perhaps she was too focused on her career now that she was finally moving up in the ranks? Maybe she was playing the long espionage game, learning the weaknesses in the chain of command so she could more effectively take them down. Or, most realistically and painfully, their revelation was accurate. And Adora loved Catra and then left her, and it hurt too much to do anything other than try to hurt her back.

She wished she could have gotten the chance to talk to Catra more before they parted. She needed to know more than what she did, especially about her missing memories. She couldn’t talk about this with Glimmer or Bow; despite their budding bonds of friendship, they didn’t understand the horde or Catra the way that Adora did. They just saw her as a horde leader, just like they saw Adora as She-Ra. 

As she started to fall asleep, Adora resolved that she would need to talk to Catra again.

  
  
  



	5. Epilogue

  
  


It took Adora a few days to recover enough mobility that she could go to the Crystal Castle again. When her friends pressed her for details, she just said she needed to learn how to activate She-Ra’s healing abilities. They were hesitant to let her off when she was still having trouble just moving around or staying awake, but something about the urgency of her request or the look in her eyes made it hard to stop her.

The castle glowed in her presence, casting sharp shadows over its crumbling walls and structure. She headed for the central chamber as quickly as she could.

“Light Hope!” She called out, echoing around the high ceilings. In an instant, the image of a tall woman in robes flickered on at her usual spot in the center. She looked down on Adora from her great height, her face betraying no emotion from under her dark vestment.

“Adora.” She greeted. “You do not seem prepared for any training at the moment, given your injuries.”

“I didn’t come to train. I have questions.”

“Then I will try my best to aid you.”

“Once, when we met. You said that you had been watching me grow from afar.” She started. “And then later, you were able to replay simulations of my memories.”

“I fail to comprehend the question. But this assessment is accurate.”

“Light Hope, did you know that Shadow Weaver was messing with my memories, erasing certain events?”

The hologram blinked. It wasn’t like her to show hesitation, but she became suspicious.

“Light Hope, please. Don’t lie to me. I need to know.”

“Your summary is. Accurate.” She conceded. Adora’s eyes widened. It was true. 

“Why didn’t you tell me!” She pleaded, much louder. It echoed around the chamber melancholically. 

“It was irrelevant.” Light Hope said sternly. “I was unable to prevent--”

“Irrelevant?!” Adora gasped and stammered for words, a hand went to clutch her head. “Look I get it that you couldn’t reach out to me until I got the sword. But now that I know, you have to have a way to show me my memories that I’m missing!”

“This would slow down your training. I recommend against this action.”

“To hell with my training!” Adora burst out. “I need to know!”

“My purpose is to train the She-Ra of Etheria. This does not aid She-Ra to balancing the planet.”

“So that’s what this is about? Just more She-Ra destiny bullshit?” She reached for her sword and held it in a shaking hand as she glared at its jewel. “Everything always comes back to this, doesn’t it? Defeat the horde. Balance the planet. Take down Catra. Let go. That’s all you want from me, isn’t it?”

“Yes. It is your destiny. Everything before this is a distraction.”

_ Catra is a distraction. Focus on your studies Adora, or she will only drag you down with her. _ Shadow Weaver’s voice seemed to echo down from the ceiling of the vast chamber and Adora couldn’t tell if she had imagined it or not.  _ You are distracted, do not make me-- _ Adora shut her eyes tight against the parts of her memory that she wished she could forget. 

“Please, I need to see what she took away from me.” Adora pleaded again, much quieter this time. “She took those memories to push Catra away and now…” Adora choked at the thought that Catra hated her and was being pushed further down the path of evil. 

“An unforeseen consequence to meet a goal.” Light Hope shook her head. Adora looked up in shock.

“What?”

“Shadow Weaver took your memories in order to form you into a soldier. The strength and discipline required to be a warrior worthy of bearing the sword of She-Ra. Even if she could not comprehend this destiny. It aligned with the requirements to create the next She-Ra.”

“Are you saying that… you agreed? With everything she did to me, to Catra. You let her do all of that so that I could follow the destiny of She-Ra?” Adora’s eyes stung with anger as they became wet with tears. Her hands shook. 

“Not all actions. But certain means to fit an end. Even if this end was not your destiny. She-Ra needs to be a warrior who does not have attachments to distract them. This has always been--”

“Was it my destiny to live in fear of the only parental figure in my life?” Adora screamed at the hologram, her voice echoing shrilly around the crystal chambers. “Was it my destiny to leave Catra behind, just like my family when I was a baby? I never asked to be She-Ra! Is that why you won’t show me those memories? Because you agreed with her?”

Light Hope got the sense that it was best not to answer. Adora only became increasingly upset at the idea that Shadow Weaver had done a good job to prepare her to bear the sword, by strengthening her body and mind, and eliminating distractions. She blinked at Adora and turned her head to the side as though puzzled at the outburst. 

“Adora… It is my sole function to aid She-Ra in balancing the planet. This is why I was created. This whole castle, my programming. It is all meant for you.” She turned away from Adora to look at the mural of She-Ra on the wall. “It is true that I was unable to do anything until you forged your connection to the sword. It is unfortunate that I could not intervene sooner.” She turned back to Adora. “These connections are what caused Mara to shatter the world before. I already failed my programming once. I will not let it happen again.”

“What’s the point of saving the world if I don’t get to be a part of it?” Adora said, putting her sword back on her back. She turned to walk back out of the castle.

“Adora,”

“Leave me alone, Light Hope. If you aren’t going to help me, I’m leaving.” 

The door slid shut behind her and the cavern was dark once again. Light Hope’s holographic image flickered out, no longer needing a physical presence in the room. But in her software, she was still thinking worriedly about Adora. It was not capable for Light Hope to speak deceitfully, and yet Adora lashed out as though she had. It was not likely that Adora would return. But all she could do was wait for her.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be more in this series! All related to things that happened here. Stay tuned for daily updates to see how things go! This is just the beginning. It's going to be a wild ride. Comment with your thoughts, would love a lil spare validation.


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